


The violent man comes down.

by Lestradesexwife



Series: Prompt fills and Random Plot Bunnies. [13]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence - The Reichenbach Fall, Gen, References to Suicide, Reichenbach Falls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-04
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 10:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lestradesexwife/pseuds/Lestradesexwife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I received a prompt from Aria.<br/>Mycroft and Moriarty at Bart's rated T Hurt/Comfort prompt: monster</p>
<p>This is NOT traditional hurt/comfort. This isn't about making either of them feel better. (Well Jim is trying to mitigate Mycroft's responsibility somewhat... but it is Jim, he doesn't do comfort.)</p>
<p>There is a lot of suggested violence, so I hope this keeps in the category. I mean, it is Jim. He's not really Pg-14 is he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The violent man comes down.

**Author's Note:**

> John... Tell him I'm sorry.

  
****  


The number was beyond top secret, and it was strictly for the use of one man.

********   


Mycroft expected it, after his visit from John. He knew that he was out of time. “Hello, James.”

********   


“Now, St. Bart’s. Your brother has chosen the roof.”

********   


Mycroft’s eyes closed, his brother’s ‘home-away.’ “Of course, I’m moving now, I will be there presently.” The line disconnected, there was nothing further to say.

********   


It was still hours before dawn, one of those rare moments when London was truly peaceful. “St. Bart’s.” Sometimes speaking to Anthea felt like speaking to a ghost, but the driver signaled a turn and Anthea busied herself on her phone. Adjusting traffic lights and crosswalks as they went, keeping them constantly moving forward.

********   


Mycroft knew exactly what had brought him here, knew that he should have been able to stop it. Was almost certain he could stop it if he had more time. Despite his constant concern, Sherlock had always been just beyond Mycroft’s control. And James, well James was not playing on any timeline but his own.

********   


He stares out the window of his car, the smooth motion should be peaceful but instead the forward momentum was making him nauseous. He doesn’t think James will do anything especially heinous if Mycroft simply refuses to meet him, but then again, whatever he has planned to finish this will happen if Mycroft doesn’t at least try to stop him now. Mycroft finds his hand in front of his mouth and resists the urge to chew on his knuckle. He has nothing to offer James, he has given him everything he needed to destroy Sherlock. He would, if he thought it would help, offer to take Sherlock’s place.

********   


This had always been about them. Sherlock and James. It seems impossible that Mycroft could protect his brother from this, now.

********   


When the car stops outside Bart’s Mycroft looks up, sees a darker shadow against the dark of the night sky. The driver and Anthea stay with the car, she appears disinterested and distracted, but she is managing the situation in Egypt, scheduling a teleconference with the Canadian version of himself and trying to mitigate the damage Richard Brook has done. Mycroft thinks that ship has sailed. Sherlock will be destroyed in the papers, there is nothing they can do about that now, Mycroft doubts he can do anything further to harm his brother at this point. He sets his jaw as he walks through the darkened receiving bay and into the hospital. Searching for and eventually finding an elevator that will take him most of the way to the roof.

********   


He suspects that Sherlock is here, that John is as well, or that he will be soon. And it seems inevitable that they will all avoid each other, until they are summoned. He pauses, his hand resting on the door to the roof access. James will have disabled any alarms, his skeleton key at work again. Mycroft feels as though there is a current pulling him forward, he’s adrift and _powerless_. The thought makes him shiver, despite his greatcoat and the relative warmth of the hospital.

********   


He has to stop again at the exterior door, fighting for composure. James may not even gain any satisfaction from seeing Mycroft reduced in this way. Hopeful, prepared to bargain and plead, knowing that he has nothing to offer now, and resigned to whatever punishment Moriarty has designed for him.

********   


“So glad you could make it darling.” James sounds like he is welcoming Mycroft into his home for a dinner party, instead of the cold, windswept night above London. James clasps both hands on Mycroft’s shoulders, pulls him close and presses a kiss against Mycroft’s cheek. Mycroft accepts the gesture, cold and empty as it is, afraid that any resistance on his part will wake the monster behind James’ eyes.

********   


“James, or do you prefer Richard?”

********   


“Now now, don’t be coy. Richard is simply a construct, a useful tool to tear down the great and powerful Oz.” James doesn’t release Mycroft, but pulls back to look into his eyes. “But I didn’t ask you here to talk about silly old me.” His hands stroke over Mycroft’s arms, a parody of comfort. “Mycroft, this is about you, you mustn’t feel this is your fault... what is coming.”

********   


“How can I not, this... Everything you have I gave to you. I can’t even say you tricked me, I knew that you hated him. There couldn’t be any sane reason for you to want... And it won’t be enough. It isn’t enough for you. You will kill him.” Mycroft bit the side of his tongue to stop himself from saying anything else. The current had dragged the words from him, James was too close, Mycroft felt like he was a moon at the edge of a black hole. Moriarty was pulling him apart bit by bit and nothing could stop him.

********   


“I don’t want to kill him!” Which isn’t the same at all as saying that you won’t kill him is it? “He’s so very interesting, there’s no one else out there worth my time.” James finally pulled away, circling around Mycroft. “Even you, he thinks you are smarter than him. But it was so _easy_ , fooling you. You believe everything, can’t be bothered to check the facts yourself. He doubts everything, even himself at least once.” Moriarty is in front of him again, close enough to feel the whisper of his breath, warm against the wind. “This was never about you, brother dear, Sherlock and I have been... entangled.” His maniacal smile, as though the thought had just occurred to him, “Yes, entangled, in the web. Ever since I began, little Carl Powers.”

********   


Mycroft can’t help but flinch, “I tried to stop him then, he was only a child.”

********   


“We both were. And see how we have grown!” James doesn’t shout, and this is worse, so much worse. The quiet syllabant slide of his words leave Mycroft feeling contaminated. “He almost found me then, did you know he came to the school? Carl didn’t have friends either, I made sure of that... before I killed him. But little Sherlock, asking all sorts of questions, until one of the teachers noticed he didn’t belong. He told them he’d gotten lost on a field trip. The headmaster drove him back to his school. He tricked them, but they were so stupid, I was hardly impressed.”

********   


James sighs and runs the tips of his fingers over Mycroft’s sleeve. “It was fun for a while, later, giving him little riddles to solve. We’ve been playing for ages, I’m not sure he noticed, such a shame the way he let himself go. Lestrade is such a good influence on him, helping him get clean and all.”

********   


“I don’t understand.”

********   


“Oh, Mycroft, of course you don’t.” James moves closer, and Mycroft shivers in earnest as he leans up and presses his lips against Mycroft’s ear. “I’ve been with your brother almost as long as you have. He’s just a shadow of me. Following along behind, picking up the little clues I leave for him. Everything you told me... I knew it all already. I made Sherlock what he is today, I created the consulting detective, and now I’m finished with him.”

********   


“Can’t you just... Why can’t you continue?” Mycroft closes his eyes, unable to meet Moriarty’s gaze this close.

********   


“Oh. Dear Mycroft. I am so **Bored**.” James rests his head against Mycroft’s shoulder. “It has never been enough, this little game with your brother. And it isn’t your fault, Bond Air was entertaining. For both of us. The Korean elections. All of it.” James turns his head against Mycroft’s shoulder, and Mycroft has to fight the natural inclination to put his arms around James.

********   


The manic grin is back as Moriarty pulls away, his hands smoothing over Mycroft’s chest and arms one last time. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright. You will see. He’s not like me, not at all. Just a shadow of an angel. You did everything you could, you almost broke me, you came closer than anyone else. It was almost interesting. But this was always going to happen someday. He wants it this way, better than a needle in his arm in some alley. Or catching a stray bullet in some silly cowboy standoff. It is going to be beautiful, I promise.”

********   


Mycroft stands and looks out over the lights of London.

********   


“You are thinking you could toss me off this building and solve all your problems. And you could, you really could. But that wouldn’t save him. If anything happens to me, well if the Met gets a hold of Sherlock he won’t last the night in Pentonville, child abduction... even criminals have a code of conduct. And if he does manage to evade his friends at the Yard, I’m afraid I have a rather nasty shock planned for him. So go ahead, shove me over, I won’t stop you.”

********   


“What if I...?”

********   


“If you like, go on.” James gives a slight jerk of his head towards the horizon. “But remember I don’t want to kill him. If he does something unexpected... well I rather doubt it.” He gives an exaggerated shrug. “But you’d never know. And there’d be no one to remember him fondly.”

********   


Mycroft cuts his eyes back to James, “I should have killed you.”

********   


James shrugs and quirks his lips, acknowledging it is, probably, true.

****  
** **

Mycroft turns and opens the door to the roof without looking back.

****  
** **

Behind Moriarty the sun begins to rise over London.

**Author's Note:**

> No I really am sorry.


End file.
